New Year LIVE: Follow the countdown to 2026 as it happens across the world

We are tracking the arrival of the new year across the globe in real time, with hourly updates, key moments, and live coverage from major celebrations.

Text: Óscar Ontañón Docal

Published 2025-12-31

Hello and welcome to Gamereactor's LIVE coverage of New Year celebrations from around the world as 2026 arrives. The first place to welcome the new year will be Kiribati, in the central Pacific Ocean, at 10:00 GMT / 11:00 CET. From there, the festivities will ripple across time zones for a full 26 hours until the last celebrations take place on Baker Island. Our team will bring you the best photos, videos and live updates from every corner of the globe. Stick with us as we say goodbye to 2025 and welcome 2026, one time zone at a time.

Kiribati - 10:00 GMT / 11:00 CET

The first celebrations of 2026 are happening on Kiritimati, an atoll in the remote Pacific nation of Kiribati, marking the start of the new year at 10:00 GMT / 11:00 CET. Kiritimati is home to around 6,500 residents, and it's part of Kiribati's 33 atolls, which together stretch across more than 3.5 million square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean. Kiribati made headlines in the 1990s when it adjusted its clocks across the international date line, so all islands would share the same date. That made Kiritimati the world's first island to welcome the new year, a title it still holds today.

New Zealand - 11:00 GMT / 12:00 CET

New Zealand marked the second country to ring in 2026, following Kiribati, with a stunning fireworks display lighting up Auckland's skyline. The city's iconic Sky Tower, the tallest structure in the country at 240 metres, served as the centerpiece of the five-minute show, with 3,500 fireworks launched from various floors.

Crowds of locals and visitors gathered to witness one of the first major New Year celebrations worldwide. The display was part of New Zealand's traditional early celebrations, following the Chatham Islands, which ring in the New Year before the rest of the country.

Smaller community events across the North Island were cancelled due to forecasted thunderstorms, but the Sky Tower show went ahead, drawing international attention as the world's first major cities began welcoming 2026.

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Most of Australia's east coast - 13:00 GMT / 14:00 CET

Sydney welcomed 2026 with its iconic New Year's Eve fireworks, marking the occasion with a tribute to victims of the deadly Bondi shooting earlier this month.

A minute's silence was held at 11:00 p.m., with the Harbour Bridge illuminated in white and a menorah projected onto its pylons. The display included 40,000 pyrotechnic effects across the city's harbour, including the Opera House.

The attack on a Hanukkah event on December 14 left 15 people dead and prompted heightened security throughout the city. Around 3,000 police officers, some armed, were deployed for the celebrations.

"After a tragic end to the year, we hope New Year's Eve will provide an opportunity to come together and look with hope for a peaceful 2026," said Lord Mayor Clover Moore. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns added that the city would not be cowed by terrorism.

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North Korea, South Korea and Japan - 15:00 GMT / 16:00 CET

As of 15:00 GMT / 16:00 CET, North Korea, South Korea and Japan have officially welcomed 2026, becoming the latest countries to join the global New Year celebrations.

In Japan, safety concerns led to the cancellation of the usual countdown event at Tokyo's bustling Shibuya Station, but residents found other ways to mark the occasion. At Tokudai-ji temple, crowds gathered to participate in the traditional ringing of bells, welcoming the new year with reflection and hope. Zojoji Buddhist Temple also drew locals and visitors eager to celebrate the start of 2026.

South Korea marked the new year with a bell-tolling and countdown ceremony at the historic Bosingak Pavilion in central Seoul, where revelers gathered despite chilly weather. Meanwhile, North Korea ushered in 2026 with a fireworks display at Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square, continuing a long-standing tradition in the capital.

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Taiwan, Hong Kong and China - 16:00 GMT / 17:00 CET

At 16:00 GMT / 17:00 CET, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China welcomed the start of 2026. The past 12 months have seen continued friction between Beijing and Taipei, with military manoeuvres, diplomatic disputes and rising uncertainty shaping cross-strait relations.

The latest example: Taiwan on high alert as Chinese ships pull back after massive drills. Hong Kong, meanwhile, has navigated its own internal struggles, balancing public order, political control and social unease under Beijing's authority.

For a brief moment, however, the turning of the calendar offered a pause. As 2026 began, celebrations allowed people across the region to set aside divisions and anxieties, even if only temporarily. For some video footage, check out the videos below.

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Thailand - 17:00 GMT / 18:00 CET